Good, R&B-heavy soundtrack compilation from PBS
T. Fisher | 07/25/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"It looks like these unadvertised Sunday MP3 specials are becoming a regular thing on Amazon. This album, a fine collection of love-themed music anchored with some great R&B classics, is going for 20 cents on 7/25/2010. If other recent Sunday bargains are any guide, the price will likely back to normal by tomorrow.
This album is the soundtrack to a 10-hour PBS miniseries focusing on an interracial couple that was originally aired in 1999. The series was highly praised as providing a deeply personal and insightful look at race relations and family ties in the United States.
At this price, the album is a no brainer. It starts out with three classics either written or performed by Smokey Robinson, followed by a great Aretha Franklin tune I had not been familiar with. Otis Redding's "Dock of the Bay" is of course worth the entire special sales price and then some. There are also good modern reworkings of classics -- a nice percussive version of "Iko, Iko" by the Dixie Cups and Asanté singing a Curtis Mayfield tune, "People Get Ready".
There are some nice slow tracks by jazz musician Marcus Miller, and a considerable helping of music by Bill Sims, one of the stars of the series -- the husband and father in the interracial couple featured in the show. His music is solid, modern, bluesy R&B.
I haven't seen the PBS series, but I'm glad this album has brought it to my attention. I'll be looking into possibilities to rent or watch it, it sounds good and definitely has some good music! But it seems this was released on VHS but never on DVD, so it might be hard to see.
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